Thursday, August 23, 2012

Switched At Birth: Emmett and Bay's Honeymoon Phase

It's been a while since I visited the Emmett/Bay saga, but with Switched at Birth returning in fewer than two weeks (eep! where has the time gone!?), I thought now would be a good time to resume chatting about the cutest ABCFamily couple since Casey and Cappie.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay

When last I left off, Emmet and Bay had officially become a thing - by which I mean they made with the smooching. In the episodes that follow, there's a bit of a honeymoon phase in which their biggest problems center around communication issues and how to break the news to Daphne.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay

There is one adorably angsty moment of Bay asking Emmett if he ever uses his voice. She makes the point that she's learning to sign, but before she's good at it, it'd be a big help if he spoke. He says no. It's an embarrassed sort of no. And Bay responds appropriately with a nevermind - let's resume kissing.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay

Later, Bay has a crummy day and all she wants to do is vent to her boyfriend. But she can't vent at typical-vent-speed because she can't sign well enough and he can't read lips that are going a mile a minute. It's a cute moment with a lot of honesty. Both of them are frustrated by things they can't control. At the end of the scene, it all comes down to intuition. Obviously she's upset, so Emmett hugs her. That's the best he's got in the moment. It's very sweet.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay hug

So then we move on to Bay's birthday. And Bay confesses that she's behind The Ax Girl street art. She tells Emmett all she wants for her birthday is to stick her art on a big billboard.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay

In hindsight, this episode actually lays the groundwork for a lot of future angst. While plotting their graffiti blitz, Emmett and Bay are interrupted by Emmett's mom. She's surprised to see them hanging out, and she's not subtle about her belief that Bay doesn't fit nicely into Emmett's life the way Daphne does. She's not wrong when she points out that Bay and Emmett can't really communicate on a deep level at the moment. But this is only the beginning of what becomes an incredibly difficult situation.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay

There's a mini-angst moment when Emmett gives Daphne the thoughtfullest-insideyest-I-SEE-you-esty-gift ever and gives Bay an impersonal scarf. Bay is hurt. Emmett makes up for it quickly, but there's still a layer of secret girlfriend residue on the whole thing.

Emmett and Bay Sean Berdy and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish and Emmett Bledsoe on Switched At Birth ABC Family Emmett and Bay birthday

There's quite a bit of setup in this episode for stuff that will eventually cause serious riftage in the Emmett/Bay love-fest. Illegal activity, crazy mothers, and Daphne all play roles in the chaos to follow. But - again - for now - they're just cute as pie. Or a puppy. Because pie isn't that cute.